Cobra RADSPEED Drivers

[allsportscoach]

I’ve got to get back to box store with a machines ha or get fit but when you live two hours away and work all the time it’s hard to get there all I know is when I hit driver the best and had time to go check spin was always high and ball went a lot further than it does now

 

[sizzquatch]

I’ve got to get back to box store with a machines ha or get fit but when you live two hours away and work all the time it’s hard to get there all I know is when I hit driver the best and had time to go check spin was always high and ball went a lot further than it does now

I hear you. I'm 6 hrs from the nearest fitter. So needless to say I risk alot and just order online. The b/s/t market is pretty decent here tho so I'm lucky.

 

[Jman]

Pretty sure this is the ball speed leader for me this year.

 

[Jaymo37]

Pretty sure this is the ball speed leader for me this year.

given that the longest hitter on tour, and the world long drive champ are using this driver I think it’s safe to say those of us playing it aren’t losing any ball speed to the field due to equipment

 

[Jman]

given that the longest hitter on tour, and the world long drive champ are using this driver I think it’s safe to say those of us playing it aren’t losing any ball speed to the field due to equipment

Its got speed behind it. So too do a lot of other drivers out right now, but this one so far has been my high of the season. It’s also a lower loft than it’s main competition in my bag though, so not a totally fair fight.

 

[hedley_lamarr08]

Most going with the XB or standard? I’m seeing advantages to both.

 

[Scooby45]

Call me chicken, but I’m taking the XB, RadSpeed went farther when centered, and feels so solid, but the misses will make it challenging for recovery for me at times.

 

[HarlettoScara]

I'm going XB after a fair bit of pondering. I'm not desperately chasing distance, but I do want that extra bit of forgiveness for when things just aren't working well.

 

[bosevelt]

There isn't enough magic in the forgiveness model that is going to make my miss worth the losses it demonstrates on good hits.
Meaning, if I miss a drive, I miss it, woods right and lake left. If I hit a decent one, I'd rather have the 10-15 yards extra be it centered or just off the fairway.

 

[DataDude]

There isn't enough magic in the forgiveness model that is going to make my miss worth the losses it demonstrates on good hits.
Meaning, if I miss a drive, I miss it, woods right and lake left. If I hit a decent one, I'd rather have the 10-15 yards extra be it centered or just off the fairway.

A lower spinning driver can be significantly shorter and further offline than a higher spinning model. I think about it like a pool cue. A low spins driver has the traditional felt tip about the size of a dime. The higher forgiving model has a tip the size of a quarter. When striking the ball at any location other than dead center the dime size cue will always put more english on the ball than the quarter sized ball. Same principle with Drivers.

 

[bosevelt]

That's fair. I certainly won't argue with the entire industry and physics as a whole! But, from my experience, the GI drivers just don't lead to better scores for me. I am a high spin, quick transition player, with decent strike, so the lower spin help outweighs the lower spin losses, again, for me personally.

 

[Tenputt]

That's fair. I certainly won't argue with the entire industry and physics as a whole! But, from my experience, the GI drivers just don't lead to better scores for me. I am a high spin, quick transition player, with decent strike, so the lower spin help outweighs the lower spin losses, again, for me personally.

I think a lot of players at your skill level (mid single digit), are going to be fit into the lower spin head.

 

[bosevelt]

Well, it fit my swing well enough to put it in the bag! Last year (and the year before) was the F9 with the Ventus Blue. I tried to move on to something slightly more forgiving, but only if it competed with F9 distance. The Ping G425 LST had similar distance, but I couldn't get much help out of it. So I back peddled to the G410 LST (which by MGS review is actually fairly forgiving). Didn't get on it with it after a few rounds. Tried out the Radspeed with the HZD Blue 60 and blammo! It smokes and that shaft really fits my swing. So far, so good!!

 

[Scooby45]

I spent a good bit of time testing both, and if your miss is wayward anyway, the standard RadSpeed was really long when centered and felt just so solid. I know that's subjective but the sense it left me was very appealing.

 

[Tenputt]

This is probably a really stupid question, but I'm a total noob when it comes to this stuff, so here goes: could I replace the stock shaft for the Radspeed XB head with my current Ventus Blue shaft from my current Speedzone? I feel that they must be compatible but I'm not 100% sure.

They are. I even use an adapter from the F8 and it works, although the lofts go in half degrees.

 

[Bernoulli]

I'm going XB after a fair bit of pondering. I'm not desperately chasing distance, but I do want that extra bit of forgiveness for when things just aren't working well.

Hope you find success with the XB.

 

[xcman04]

Soo yeah - I may have made a totally irresponsible, spur of the moment purchase and bought a peacoat 10.5* RADSPEED XB from my local GG. Before I go on, please note that I fully acknowledge that there was no good financial reason to buy this driver when I was already gaming last year's Pars and Stripes Speedzone Xtreme.

With that said, after trying out the XB on the range and on the course, I have some random observations:

- I immediately paired the XB driver head with the Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 shaft from the aforementioned Pars and Stripes driver...and I can't even begin to describe how amazing that combo looks. The color of the shaft and the top of the driver head go together perfectly. I'll see if I can get a picture soon (the colors are dark enough that it's hard to get a good one). I know how a driver looks isn't the most important quality, but I much prefer the peacoat color to the all white Pars and Stripes, and I find it easier to look at and focus on when setting up my swing.

- Along those lines, I was surprised to determine that I also prefer the black Infinity Face on the XB to the blue Infinity Face of the Pars and Stripes. I've obviously put in a few more rounds on the Pars and Stripes then the XB, but I've noticed what I can only describe as chip marks clearly visible across the blue face, where as the black face (so far) shows none. I also think it's far easier to see where the ball impacted on the black face as opposed to the blue face, where the ball strike marks are very muted.

- This might just be me, but I think the XB sounds a bit better then the Speedzone Xtreme. To my ears the XB has a slightly more muted yet satisfying sound, while the Xtreme sounded more like a sharp crack on good strikes. Again, though, that's probably just me.

- This is probably more a result of my recent lessons translating well to range sessions and the course, but I have definitely noticed better ball flight and distance with the XB. I'm still very much a beginner, and my swing speed is currently in the mid 80's, as I tend to slow down my swing a bit to focus more on consistently hitting the ball (losing my balance when swinging too fast is a real problem for me). Even with that, I consistently saw probably 5-10 yards more distance on well-hit shots with my XB over the Xtreme. Even on not-so-good shots, where I was pushing the ball right, the ball wouldn't go as far right as it might with my Xtreme, thus keeping more of my shots in play, even if in the rough. Also, my ball flight in terms of height was much better with the XB - with the Xtreme, I was often prone to hitting drives that would go too far up in the air, so they would lose distance even if hit well and straight. Just about all of my drives with the XB have been lower in trajectory, and I suspect that has contributed a bit to the extra distance I've been seeing.

In conclusion, other then the fact I probably shouldn't be trusted with money when it comes to buying golf clubs, I have zero regrets picking up the XB. As a high handicapper still learning how to play, this driver looks, sounds and feels amazing.

 

[Turtlerancher]

Thinking XB Tour length, what's the benefits and disadvantages? 97 driver SS in regular flex.

 

[Scooby45]

For what's it worth, when I tested it I was much more consistent at the non-tour length. I know that may go against theory and it may be sample size driven, as I was only comparing maybe 10 shots against each other. I wonder if it did a mental thing on me after playing the longer driver for years, just the level of comfort and familiarity.

This may be the time to take a longer test drive and see if the shorter length leads to more centered contact.

 

[moolman]

Thinking XB Tour length, what's the benefits and disadvantages? 97 driver SS in regular flex.

I've used the Tour Length for years. I prefer it, I can control it better for sure.

 

[jdtox]

Will be doing some final testing this morning to determine which head I'll be playing in the Morgan Cup this year. Odds on favorite is the XB but want to make sure I'm not leaving anything on the table going standard.

 

[Krup]

Will be doing some final testing this morning to determine which head I'll be playing in the Morgan Cup this year. Odds on favorite is the XB but want to make sure I'm not leaving anything on the table going standard.

 

[jdtox]

View attachment 9002355

Here are some numbers from today’s session. There are a few stinkers in there bringing down the average and I don’t have spin numbers from TrackMan Range sadly but based on the carry to total distance and visuals I’m thinking the spin was in a good spot, didn’t seems to knuckle or float on me. Some of those ball speeds for an old guy are pretty good haha

 

[Tenputt]

Here are some numbers from today’s session. There are a few stinkers in there bringing down the average and I don’t have spin numbers from TrackMan Range sadly but based on the carry to total distance and visuals I’m thinking the spin was in a good spot, didn’t seems to knuckle or float on me. Some of those ball speeds for an old guy are pretty good haha

View attachment 9002372

Hitting mid-160 ball speed this early in the year is impressive, my friend.

 

[Tenputt]

The ballgame is over. The standard RadSpeed has the A spot in the bag for the year. I am not looking back. I played a quick 9 tonight and put the heavier weight in the back. I didn’t seem to lose any distance, but immediately it felt more stable to me. The launch went up a bit for me Arccos recorded the first two drives with the weight in the back at 309 and 294. Arccos recorded my four drives at an average of 285.77. I have two 9 hole rounds in with this driver and had a 300 plus yard drive in both outings. That is unheard of for me.